Sindhubaadh tops Tamil Nadu weekend box office with Rs 7 cr in four days; Unda crosses Rs 20 cr mark globally

Vijay Sethupathi’s _Sindhubaadh_ , which opened to average reviews from both critics and audiences alike, topped the Tamil Nadu box office for the weekend of 27-30 June. The film was initially slated to hit screens on 21 June but got postponed at the last minute due to financial issues. The Thursday release strategy on 27 June to capitalise on a four-day opening weekend and to gain an advantage over other Friday releases such as Yogi Babu’s comedy-drama Dharma Prabhu and 8 Thottakkal fame director Sri Ganesh’s Jiivi has backfired since Sindhubaadh missed to fetch positive word-of-mouth from audiences. [caption id=“attachment_6859351” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Vijay Sethupathi in a still from Sindhubaadh. YouTube[/caption] Directed by Arun Kumar, Sindhubaadh pulled in a middling total of Rs 7.6 crore in its four-day opening weekend in Tamil Nadu, including a highly disappointing day one total of Rs 1.74 cr, which is one of the lowest first-day theatrical revenues of 2019 in the state for a popular star like Sethupathi. Sindhubaadh marked the reunion of filmmaker Arun Kumar and Sethupathi after the super-hit cop drama Sethupathi, and the trade had pinned hopes on the film. The Friday-Sunday total of the movie is estimated to be Rs 5.86 crore. Sathyamoorthy of Clapboard Productions reportedly acquired the film’s Tamil Nadu theatrical rights for Rs 12.5 crore and trade insiders peg the movie’s lifetime share in the range of Rs 5 crore. Dharma Prabhu, which marks Yogi Babu’s debut film as a lead hero, occupied the second position at the Tamil Nadu box office followed by Sri Ganesh-directed thriller drama Jiivi. The Monday collection of Dharma Prabhu is almost the same as the film’s opening day numbers, and the makers are quite upbeat about the response despite harsh reviews from critics. Holdover hit Kolaigaran, which topped the Tamil Nadu box office for two second consecutive weekends, has crossed 25 days in theatres and raked in Rs 15 crore in the state. The film, directed by Andrew Louis and presented by Dhananjayan of BOFTA Media Works, marked the first-time collaboration of Vijay Antony and Arjun on screen. Sources say the crime thriller’s Hindi remake rights are in high demand and the makers have already started organising preview screenings for interested stakeholders in Mumbai. [caption id=“attachment_6820391” align=“alignnone” width=“1200”]  A still from Kolaigaran.[/caption] Sivakarthikeyan’s sophomore production Nenjamundu Nermaiyundu Odu Raja has collected an approximate total of Rs 4.5 crore so far in the state. Talking about the film’s performance at the box-office, Sivakarthikeyan said, “I watched the first day first show in Chennai before leaving to London for the India-Pakistan cricket match. I could see the entire team in tears when the end credits started rolling. Everyone started doubting my decision to produce a film featuring talents from the YouTube community, but I trusted their abilities, and it has paid off. Irrespective of the film’s box-office results at the ticket window, I’m extremely pleased with the response.” Mammotty’s holdover Malayalam film Unda has sailed past the Rs 20 crore mark in worldwide ticket sales in 10 days. The film has successfully entered the second week in Kerala box-office as well with a cumulative total of Rs 14.7 crore. The 9-day UAE-GCC total of the film is pegged at Rs 6.8 crore, and the rest of India total is estimated at Rs 0.36 crore. Directed by Khalid Rahman of Anuraga Karikkin Vellam fame, Unda received excellent reviews from critics when it released three weeks back. Tollywood detective thriller Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya, with an excellent domestic distributor share of Rs 3.7 crore, has become a surprise hit at the ticket window. The film received rave reviews from critics and picked up superbly at the box-office thanks to fantastic word-of-mouth from viewers. In the USA alone, Agent Sai… has garnered a total of Rs 1.83 crore, which is a phenomenal number for a small film. Directed by Swaroop RSJ, the film starred Naveen Polishetty in the lead role and received endorsements from top stars like Vijay Deverakonda.